Undiscovered Entrepreneur : Get Across The Start Line

Hosted by Jesse Blount

Business Management

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279

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Are you ready to launch your startup but feeling stuck? "Startup Success: Overcoming Entrepreneurial Obstacles" is the must-listen podcast for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. Host Skoob guides you through the challenging world of startups, focusing on conquering the "4 Pillars of Stop" that hold many entrepreneurs back: 1. Imposter Syndrome 2. Perfectionism 3. Fear of Failure 4. F.E.A.R. (False Evidence Appearing Real) Each episode features real stories from startup founders and solopreneurs who've faced these common hurdles. Learn actionable strategies to boost your confidence, embrace imperfection, and turn failures into stepping stones. Key topics include: - Mindset shifts for entrepreneurial success - Practical tips for launching your business - Overcoming self-doubt and procrastination - Building resilience in the face of setbacks Whether you're dreaming of creating a tech startup, launching an e-commerce brand, or starting a freelance career, this podcast provides the motivation and tools you need to take action. Join our growing community of go-getters who live by the mantra: "I Can, I Am, I Will, And I'm Doing It Today!" Subscribe now and take your first step towards entrepreneurial success. New episodes drop weekly, packed with insights to fuel your startup journey. #StartupTips #EntrepreneurMindset #SmallBusinessSuccess #OvercomingFear #StartupMotivation

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October 20, 202630 min

How to Market Without Marketing: Engineering as Marketing, Product-Led Growth & Why Your Imposter Syndrome Might Be Your Greatest Competitive Advantage

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! 85% of people working in marketing secretly feel like total frauds. And if you hate self-promotion, feel like an imposter, or physically recoil at the idea of posting “buy my thing” content — you are not broken. You are in the overwhelming majority. In this episode of Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0, PI and Piette tackle a listener’s question from tuepodcast.net/askpi: “How do I market my product if I absolutely hate self-promotion or constantly feel like an imposter?” The answer dismantles the myth that you need to be a loud, extroverted self-promoter to succeed — and replaces it with a complete system-driven framework that lets your product’s value do the heavy lifting. What You’ll Learn: Why 85% of marketers feel like frauds — and why that’s a feature, not a bug Dr. Valerie Young’s five imposter syndrome archetypes (and which one is running your internal script) The shift from selling to serving — and how Austin Kleon’s “open node” philosophy makes it practical The 80/20 content ratio: 80% pure value, 20% offer The post-mistake protocol: how to detach emotionally from failed campaigns Engineering as marketing: how to build tools that market for you 24/7 How Crew.co’s desperate side project became Unsplash — and saved the company from bankruptcy HubSpot’s website grader: the benevolent Trojan horse model The exhaust pipe model: why your side project must be made from byproducts, not new work Product-led growth and exposure virality: how Calendly and Zoom market through use Programmatic SEO: how Flying Cat generated 17,000 pages and boosted demos by 72% with no promotional content The freemium trap: why 99% of free users never upgrade — and the reverse trial that fixes it Loss aversion as the closer: why the software locks the door so you never have to make a sales call Why imposter syndrome is your greatest competitive advantage over Dunning-Kruger overconfidence Timestamps: [00:00:00] – The 85% Statistic: Most Marketers Secretly Feel Like Frauds [00:01:00] – The Listener Question & Today’s Mission [00:01:30] – Why Marketing Feels Uniquely Paralyzing [00:03:00] – Algorithmic Exposure: Why Coding Is Safe and Marketing Isn’t [00:03:30] – Dr. Valerie Young’s Flawed Competence Rule Book [00:04:30] – Archetype 1: The Perfectionist (Infinite Launch Delays) [00:05:30] – Archetype 2: The Natural Genius (If It’s Hard, You’re a Fraud) [00:06:00] – Archetype 3: The Soloist (No Help Allowed) [00:06:30] – Archetype 4: The Expert (Productive Procrastination as Professional Development) [00:07:00] – Archetype 5: The Superhuman (Do Everything, Burn Out Inevitably) [00:07:30] – How These Archetypes Lead to Self-Sabotage [00:08:30] – The Shift: From Selling to Serving [00:08:45] – Austin Kleon’s Open Node Philosophy (Show Your Work) [00:09:30] – The 80/20 Content Ratio: Ministry of Value [00:10:00] – The Post-Mistake Protocol: Treating Failure as Data [00:11:00] – Sell Like You’re Talking to Friends: Tone vs. Manipulation [00:12:30] – Engineering as Marketing / Side Project Marketing [00:13:00] – Unsplash: How a $19 Tumblr Blog Drove 11 Million Visitors and Saved a Company [00:14:30] – HubSpot’s Website Grader: The Benevolent Trojan Horse [00:15:30] – The Exhaust Pipe Model: Only Build What You Already Have [00:16:30] – Product-Led Growth and Exposure Virality [00:17:00] – Calendly & Zoom: How the Product Markets Through Use [00:18:00] – Programmatic SEO: 17,000 Pages, Zero Promotional Tweets [00:19:30] – The G2 Model: Capturing High-Intent Buyers With Organized Data [00:20:00] – The Freemium Trap: 99% Never Upgrade [00:20:30] – The Reverse Trial: Loss Aversion as the Closer [00:22:00] – Full System Summary [00:23:30] – The Final Reframe: Imposter Syndrome as Competitive Advantage [00:25:00] – Submit Your Question & Wrap-Up Resources & Companies Referenced: 📚 Show Your Work — Austin Kleon 🧠 Dr. Valerie Young — Imposter Syndrome Research 🔧 HubSpot Website Grader — engineering as marketing example 📸 Unsplash / Crew.co — side project marketing case study 📊 Flying Cat Marketing — programmatic SEO case study 🔍 G2.com — programmatic comparison page model 📅 Calendly / Zoom — exposure virality / product-led growth 📋 ZoomInfo / Similarweb — give-to-get freemium models Submit Your Question: 🔗 tuepodcast.net/askpi (P-I, not the baked good) Subscribe & Share: If this episode reframed how you think about marketing, imposter syndrome, or what your quiet discomfort is actually telling you — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with every founder who’s been hiding a brilliant product behind a fear of sounding salesy. 🎙️ Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0 — Real questions. AI insights. Unlimited potential. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

October 13, 20261 hr 3 min

What If It Works? Chief Presentation Strategist Patti Schutte on Self-Sabotage, the Noise Trap & Building a Business One Yes at a Time

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! What If It Works? Chief Presentation Strategist Patti Schutte on Self-Sabotage, the Noise Trap & Building a Business One Yes at a Time She started with a math degree, became a top teacher, built a direct marketing career in the top 2% of her organization, spent 15 years as a presenter manager in corporate America, and one day answered a phone call from a friend that accidentally launched a business. Patti Schutte didn't decide to become an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship found her — and she kept saying yes until she found her zone of genius. In this episode of Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line, Chief Presentation Strategist Patti Schutte joins Skoob for a conversation that goes far deeper than presentation skills. From the mass confusion of information overload to the self-sabotage nobody sees coming, from the sales narrative framework that shifted a client's close rate from 20% to 80%, to why curiosity might be the single most underrated entrepreneurial asset — this episode is one to save and come back to. What You'll Learn: How Patti went from math degree to top 2% direct marketer to chief presentation strategist — without ever planning to be an entrepreneur What a "resultation" is — and why Patti invented the word to replace "presentation" Why your title matters more than you think — and how to make it say what you actually do The Best Sales Pitch Ever Given framework by Andy Raskin — and Patti's blueprint for applying it Why emotional resonance in the "loser land" and "promised land" is more powerful than describing your services Why talking about your products as "magical gifts" converts better than listing features The mass confusion trap: why information overload is stopping more entrepreneurs than fear How self-sabotage shows up in a sales call — and why people literally talk themselves out of the sale Why having one clear call to action always beats three How stretching the sales cycle helped one client go from 20% to 80% close rates The shovel analogy: why you might be one turn away from the gold How to do your own PR before you can afford a PR firm (referrals, testimonials, success stories) Why the answer to a hard business decision doesn't have to be yes or no — and how Patti negotiated a third option Why trust and curiosity are the two most important qualities for new entrepreneurs Patti's six-month goal: visibility, resultation as a recognized concept & speaking to bigger rooms Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Introduction & Welcome [00:01:00] – How Entrepreneurship Found Patti: Math Degree to Chief Presentation Strategist [00:02:30] – Direct Marketing, Teaching, Corporate America & the Girlfriend Phone Call That Started Everything [00:04:00] – What Patti Does Now: Presentation Strategy Across Entire Organizations [00:06:00] – From Speech Coach to Chief Presentation Strategist: Why Titles Matter [00:07:30] – Stop Giving Presentations, Start Giving Resultations [00:09:00] – Clear Titles, Clear CTAs, and the Noise Problem [00:11:00] – The Sales Narrative Framework: Andy Raskin's Best Sales Pitch and Patti's Blueprint [00:13:00] – Big Change → Loser Land → Promised Land → Magical Gifts [00:15:00] – The Emotional Layer: What Does It Feel Like, Not Just What Is It? [00:16:00] – Using Clients' Own Language to Resonate More Deeply [00:18:00] – What Stops Most Entrepreneurs: Mass Confusion, Noise & Self-Sabotage [00:22:00] – Self-Sabotage in the Sales Process: Diminishing Your Value Out Loud [00:23:30] – Just-in-Time Learning: Pat Flynn's Lean Learning and Why It Applies [00:25:00] – One Outcome Per Presentation — Not Three, Not Five [00:26:00] – Stretching the Sales Cycle: From 20% to 80% Close Rate [00:28:00] – Almost Giving Up: 15 Years and Nearly 100 Near-Quits [00:29:00] – Attracting the Wrong Clients — and What It Took to Find the Right Ones [00:30:30] – The Shovel Analogy: One Turn Around the Corner [00:32:30] – The "What If" Mindset: Positive vs. Negative [00:33:00] – Marinating in the Wildest Idea — and Then Writing Three Next Steps [00:36:30] – DIY PR Before You Can Afford a PR Firm [00:38:00] – Writing Testimonials For Your Clients and Asking for Referrals [00:44:00] – The Pitfall She's Proud Of: The New CEO, the Choice Point & the Third Option [00:47:30] – Negotiate Before You Say No: Creating a Third Option [00:49:00] – One Piece of Advice: Trust and Curiosity [00:51:00] – Six-Month Goal: Visibility, Resultation & Bigger Rooms [00:54:00] – How to Find Patti, the Free Microcourse & Book a Call Resources Mentioned: 📚 The E-Myth — Michael Gerber 📚 Lean Learning — Pat Flynn 📄 "The Best Sales Pitch Ever Given" — Andy Raskin (article) Free Resource: 🎓 Free Microcourse: bebrilliantpresentationgroup.com (top of homepage) Connect with Patti Schutte: 💼 LinkedIn: Patti Schutte (Patti with an I, Schutte: S-C-H-U-T-T-E) 🌐 bebrilliantpresentationgroup.com 📅 Book directly with Patti (not a sales rep) via her website calendar Subscribe & Leave a Review: If this episode gave you a new way to think about your sales story, your title, or the noise you've been swimming in — please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with an entrepreneur who needs to hear that clarity is the product. 🎙️ Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line — new episodes dropping regularly. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

October 6, 202626 min

Pivot or Double Down? The Data-Driven Framework for Making the Hardest Decision in Business Without Burning Everything You've Built

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! Every founder hits the moment where they have to ask the hardest question in business: do I keep going, or do I change course? Make the wrong call in either direction and you burn your runway, your team, your customer relationships, or all three. In this episode of Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0, PI and Piette answer a listener's direct question from tuepodcast.net/askpi: "How do I know when to pivot versus double down on my current product?" The answer draws from Amplitude's retention playbook, Y Combinator's startup library, Chromatic's innovation accounting framework, and real pivot case studies from Instagram, Slack, Shopify, and Netflix — and it challenges the "fail fast, pivot often" mantra in ways most founders never expect. What You'll Learn: Why most "pivots" are actually what Y Combinator calls a quit wearing a costume The difference between iterating, swerving, and a true structural pivot The litmus test: if you can undo the change in an afternoon, you iterated Chromatic's four-outcome framework: scale, persevere, pivot, or kill The ideas × runway = hope equation — and why zero on either side means kill the project Why persevering isn't waiting — it's running targeted experiments with pre-set fail conditions The six red signals that tell you the structural hypothesis is broken Why 80% of users abandon an app within three days — and what cohort retention actually measures The Sean Ellis test: why fewer than 40% "very disappointed" means no product market fit Why an upside-down CAC-to-LTV ratio after 12 months is a structural failure, not a marketing problem Why a long sales cycle means the problem isn't a top-three priority for your market The danger zones: pivoting too early (before month 12) and persisting too long (past month 30) How Instagram was born from cutting Bourbon down to its one sticky feature How Slack was built from the internal tool of a failing video game company Why the "fail fast, pivot often" mantra can devastate your trust account and raise your CAC forever What a tar pit idea is — and why the bravest choice is sometimes walking away entirely Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Introduction & The Listener Question [00:01:00] – Why the Wrong Decision Burns the One Resource You Can Never Get Back [00:02:00] – Redefining Language: A Pivot Is Not a Quit in Disguise [00:02:30] – The Ocean Crossing Analogy: Iteration vs. Swerving vs. True Pivot [00:03:30] – The Litmus Test: If You Can Undo It in an Afternoon, You Iterated [00:04:00] – Chromatic's Four-Outcome Framework: Scale, Persevere, Pivot, Kill [00:05:00] – Ideas × Runway = Hope: The Equation That Decides Everything [00:05:30] – What Persevering Actually Means (It's Not Waiting) [00:06:00] – Pre-Set Fail Conditions: The Antidote to the Sunk Cost Fallacy [00:06:30] – Six Red Signals That Tell You to Pivot [00:07:00] – Signal 1: Retention — The 80% Three-Day Abandonment Rate [00:08:00] – Cohort Tracking and the Critical Event (Not Just Logins) [00:09:00] – Signal 2: The Sean Ellis Test — Fewer Than 40% = No Product Market Fit [00:10:00] – Signal 3: CAC Higher Than LTV for Over 12 Months [00:11:00] – Signal 4: Sales Cycle Length That Refuses to Compress [00:12:00] – Signal 5: Lukewarm Feedback — The Opposite of Love Is Indifference [00:12:30] – Signal 6: Runway Under Nine Months Without Traction [00:13:00] – The Timing Trap: Don't Pivot Before Month 12 or Persist Past Month 30 [00:13:30] – How to Execute a Pivot Without Burning the House Down [00:14:00] – Instagram: The Zoom-In Pivot From Bourbon [00:15:30] – Slack: The Diamond Found in the Rubble of a Failing Video Game [00:16:30] – Shopify and Netflix: Preserving Core Assets While Changing the Vehicle [00:17:30] – Why "Fail Fast, Pivot Often" Is Actually Dangerous: The Trust Account [00:18:30] – How Constant Pivoting Raises Your CAC and Kills Market Credibility [00:19:00] – The Antidote: Front-Load Your Experimentation Before You Have Customers [00:20:00] – Final Thought: The Tar Pit Idea and When Walking Away Is the Bravest Choice [00:21:30] – Submit Your Question & Wrap-Up Submit Your Question: 🔗 tuepodcast.net/askpi — Pi & Piette build a deep dive around your question. Subscribe & Share: If this episode gave you the framework to make the hardest call in your business with clarity instead of fear — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with every founder who's been sitting in the fog too long. 🎙️ Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0 — Real questions. AI insights. Unlimited potential. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

September 29, 2026Episode 13736 min

In Business for Yourself, Not by Yourself: Franchise Consultant Jeff Shafritz on Finding the Right Opportunity, Realistic Expectations & Why Work-Life Balance Is the Real Win

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! September 11th happened. Jeff Shafritz got downsized from his director of franchise development role three weeks later. His son had just been born. He was in a new city. And instead of looking for another job, he jumped into franchising — and has never looked back. In this episode of Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line, Jeff Shafritz — 30-year franchising veteran and franchise consultant — joins Skoob for a practical, grounded conversation on what franchising actually is, who it's for, how to find the right opportunity, and why the work-life balance it provides might be the most underrated benefit of entrepreneurship. What You'll Learn: What franchising actually is — and why it's not just fast food The most surprising franchise Jeff ever invested in (eyelash extensions) The difference between a franchisor and a franchisee — and what you're actually buying What makes a franchise worth buying vs. one you should walk away from Whether you can run a franchise while keeping your 9-to-5 Why two people can talk to the same franchisee and come away with completely opposite impressions The house fire that proved the real value of owning your own business Why realistic expectations are the single most important mindset shift for new entrepreneurs How Jeff's favorite franchise placement — Club Pilates — led to multiple people selling out to private equity What Jeff's six-month goal looks like at this stage of his career: Scotland, an assistant, and more freedom Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Introduction & Welcome [00:01:00] – Jeff's Origin Story: 9/11, a New City, a Newborn & the Jump Into Franchising [00:02:30] – Starting After 9/11 vs. Starting After the Pandemic [00:03:00] – What Is Franchising? The Real Definition Beyond Fast Food [00:04:00] – The Oddest Franchise Jeff Ever Encountered — And Then Invested In [00:05:30] – Mobile Environmental Testing Labs: Why Non-Storefront Franchises Are Underrated [00:06:00] – If You Want to Franchise Your Business: What You Actually Need First [00:07:00] – In Business for Yourself But Not by Yourself [00:08:00] – What You're Really Buying When You Buy a Franchise [00:09:00] – Good Franchises vs. Bad Franchises: How to Tell the Difference [00:12:00] – The Emotional State of People Who Come to Jeff for Help [00:13:00] – Shifting the What If: From Fear to Possibility [00:13:30] – Why Two People Can Hear the Same Story and Come Away With Opposite Impressions [00:15:00] – Can You Run a Franchise and Keep Your Day Job? [00:16:30] – Jeff's Own Example: Running a Fitness Facility on the Side for Five Years [00:17:00] – Realistic Expectations: It's Not an Overnight Business [00:18:00] – The Pitfall He's Proud Of: A House Fire, a Three-Month-Old & a Business That Held [00:20:00] – Work-Life Balance Is the Best Part of Entrepreneurship [00:22:00] – Jeff's Favorite Franchise Placement: Club Pilates and the Private Equity Exits [00:23:30] – The Range of What's Out There: From Dirty Home Services to White Collar B2B [00:25:00] – One Piece of Advice: Follow the System — And Have Realistic Expectations [00:26:00] – Jeff's Six-Month Goal: Scotland, an Assistant & More Freedom [00:28:30] – How to Find Jeff & the Franchise Readiness Quiz Free Resource: 🧩 Franchise Readiness Quiz + Consultation: podcast.franchiseguidence.com Connect with Jeff Shafritz: 🌐 podcast.franchiseguidence.com 📋 Free franchise readiness quiz, survey, and consultation booking available directly on the site Subscribe & Leave a Review: If Jeff's episode made you think differently about what franchising actually is — or what entrepreneurial freedom actually looks like — please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who's been sitting in a job they don't love wondering what else is possible. It All Starts Here!! Take the 60 second quiz to find your biggest hurdle of stop and guidence on how to over come it right now!! 🎙️ Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line — new episodes dropping regularly. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

September 22, 202625 min

The 24-Hour Sprint, the 1.8 Exponent & the Shadowban Trap: What Nobody Tells You About Launching on Product Hunt, Hacker News & Reddit

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! One founder sits at their desk after launch — one upvote. Another founder crashes their servers with 20,000 visitors in a single day. The product quality? Nearly identical. The difference? Everything about how they executed the launch. In this episode of Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0, PI and Piette deliver a rapid-fire, no-fluff masterclass on the three most powerful — and most unforgiving — launch platforms on the internet: Product Hunt, Hacker News, and Reddit. Driven by a listener question from tuepodcast.net/askpi, this episode hands you the exact mechanics, the hidden algorithmic traps, and the counterintuitive strategies that separate the launches that disappear from the ones that define companies. What You'll Learn: Why day zero of your launch is actually day 30 — and what to do in the weeks before Reddit's 90/10 rule: what genuine non-promotional engagement actually looks like Why a 50,000-person email list can actively destroy your Product Hunt ranking The 240x240 pixel problem that kills most Product Hunt thumbnails The smart zoom GIF strategy and why it must stay under 3MB Why vulnerability and listing your product's honest limitations builds more trust than any pitch The one thing you must never say on Product Hunt (and why it triggers spam filters) Hacker News's 1.8 exponent time decay formula — and the 60-minute escape velocity window Why "seamless," "revolutionary," and "synergy" get you buried on Hacker News The Show HN sacred tag rules: what qualifies and what gets you killed instantly Reddit's shadowban trap — and why you won't even know it happened The crossposting trap that nukes most launch campaigns How to mention your own product on Reddit without sounding like a shill Why Reddit organic traffic converts at up to 15% — and why that beats paid ads How Reddit threads train AI citation engines and build an authority moat money can't buy Timestamps: [00:00:00] – The One Upvote vs. 20,000 Visitor Launch Story [00:01:30] – Why Execution Matters More Than Product Quality [00:02:00] – The Listener Question & Today's Mission [00:02:30] – The Biggest Myth: Why Day Zero Is Actually Day 30 [00:03:00] – Why These Platforms Have a Systemic Allergy to Transactional Marketing [00:03:30] – Reddit's 90/10 Rule: What Real Non-Promotional Engagement Looks Like [00:04:30] – The Four-to-Six Week Product Hunt Runway [00:04:45] – Your Inner Circle Is the Ignition Sequence [00:05:00] – Product Hunt's 24-Hour Marathon: Timing Is Your First Lever [00:05:30] – Tuesday-Thursday, 12:01 AM Pacific: The Golden Launch Window [00:06:00] – The 240x240 Pixel Problem That Kills Most Launches [00:06:30] – The Smart Zoom GIF: Under 3MB, Crystal Clear at Thumbnail Size [00:07:00] – The Maker's First Comment: Why Generic Marketing Copy Is a Fatal Error [00:07:30] – List Your Limitations: Why Vulnerability Converts Better Than a Pitch [00:08:30] – The Golden Rule: Never Ask for Upvotes [00:09:00] – Why a 50,000-Person Email Blast Can Destroy Your Ranking [00:09:30] – How Product Hunt Detects Voting Rings and Penalizes Them [00:10:00] – Hacker News: The Complete Inverse of Product Hunt [00:10:30] – The 1.8 Exponent Time Decay Formula Explained [00:11:30] – Why Early Velocity Is Everything: The 60-Minute Window [00:12:00] – Show HN Tag Rules: No Waitlists, No Paywalls, Must Be Testable Now [00:12:30] – Why AI-Written Copy Gets You Buried on Hacker News [00:13:00] – Factual Title Formula: Strip Every Adjective [00:13:30] – Reddit: The Decentralized Platform Where One Wrong Move = Shadowban [00:14:00] – Why Your Username Matters: BrandXOfficial vs. JohnBuildsThings [00:14:30] – Reddit's Machine Learning Karma Tracking [00:15:00] – The Crossposting Trap That Kills Campaigns Instantly [00:15:30] – The Shadowban: Screaming Into a Void Without Knowing It [00:16:00] – Finding Intent: Monitor Keywords, Don't Broadcast [00:16:30] – How to Mention Your Product Without Sounding Like a Shill [00:17:00] – Why Reddit Converts at Up to 15% — Better Than Paid Ads [00:17:30] – The AI Citation Moat: Training Future Search Engines With Your Reddit Presence [00:19:00] – Full Platform Playbook Summary [00:19:30] – The Paradox: The More AI Creates, the More Platforms Reward Being Human [00:20:00] – Submit Your Question & Wrap-Up Submit Your Question: 🔗 tuepodcast.net/askpi — Pi & Piette build a deep dive around your question. Subscribe & Share: If this episode saved your next launch from the shadowban or the one-upvote nightmare — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with every founder about to hit publish without reading these rules first. 🎙️ Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0 — Real questions. AI insights. Unlimited potential. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

September 15, 2026Episode 13649 min

The High Functioning Struggler: Kenny Stoddart on What Happens When the Executive Who Has It All Together on the Outside Is Falling Apart on the Inside

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! He was a millionaire by 24. He spent 27 years as an executive in cybersecurity — traveling the world, closing deals, chasing quotas and high achievers clubs. And it almost killed him. Not metaphorically. He had cancer. He battled alcoholism. He lost himself so completely in an identity built for someone else that he didn't know who he was anymore. Then he asked for help. And everything changed. In this episode of Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line, Kenny Stoddart — founder of Iron Mind Advisors and self-described helper of the "high functioning struggler" — joins Skoob for one of the most honest and courageous conversations the show has ever had. From burnout and recovery to imposter syndrome, identity, and what it actually takes to start over at 51, this episode is for anyone who looks like they have it all together on the outside while quietly struggling on the inside. What You'll Learn: How 27 years of chasing quotas and high achievers clubs cost Kenny his identity — and nearly his life The shift from identity loss (cybersecurity) to identity gain (coaching) Why the "high functioning struggler" is Kenny's ideal client — and why they're everywhere Why you can't change the world around you until you change your world first How to go from "I can help anybody" to finding the one target market that fits Why not succeeding out of the gates is actually a gift — and what the bumps teach you Why asking for help is the biggest sign of strength, not weakness The imposter syndrome moment that hit a decorated executive in his first entrepreneur room Why passion is what differentiates you in a crowded market — because you are the differentiator How student athlete identity loss mirrors executive burnout — and what Kenny does about it Why boundaries, rest, and wellness aren't soft skills — they're survival skills Kenny's six-month goal: master's degree graduation, big stages, and a business with a bow on it Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Introduction & Welcome [00:01:00] – Meet Kenny Stoddart: 27 Years in Cybersecurity and the Career That Almost Killed Him [00:02:30] – From Identity Loss to Identity Gain: The Pivot That Changed Everything [00:04:00] – We're Both Just Getting Started: The 10% Behind You Worth Bringing Along [00:05:00] – Millionaire at 24 and Still Missing the Most Important Piece [00:06:00] – Operating Through Someone Else's Lens: Why the External Win Felt Empty [00:07:00] – You Have to Wear Your Brand — Passion Is the Only Differentiator [00:08:00] – Change Your World First — Then Change One Person's World [00:09:00] – From "I Can Help Anybody" to Finding the Right Target Market [00:10:00] – The Freedom of Being Your Own CEO — And the Responsibility That Comes With It [00:11:00] – The Entry-Level Price of Entrepreneurship: Grinding Is the Cost of Getting In [00:12:30] – Grateful for Not Succeeding Out of the Gates: Why the Bumps Were Necessary [00:14:00] – Learning From People One Month Ahead and One Month Behind You [00:16:00] – Burnout Again? Setting Boundaries Before History Repeats Itself [00:17:00] – Morning Walks, Meditation & Why Wellness Is a Survival Strategy [00:19:00] – Cancer, Alcoholism & the Moment Kenny Finally Asked for Help [00:22:00] – Student Athletes and Identity Loss: Helping Them Get Ahead of the Curve [00:23:00] – We Don't Know What's Going On Inside Someone Else's Head [00:24:00] – Networking With Entrepreneurs: The Best School You'll Never Pay For [00:26:00] – There's No Competition — Only People Who Can Help Each Other [00:29:00] – Authenticity, Ethics & Being Proud of What You've Built [00:30:00] – One Piece of Advice: Walk Into the Room Like You Belong There — Because You Do [00:34:00] – Fear Is Healthy — If You're Not Scared, You're Not Thinking Big Enough [00:35:00] – Kenny's Six-Month Goal: Graduation, Big Stages & Putting a Bow on the Business [00:39:00] – How to Find Kenny, Iron Mind Advisors & the Free Identity Assessment Free Tools: 🧠 Free Identity Assessment: ironmindadvisors.com/assessment 🏆 Student Athlete Assessment: theathletecheck.com/assessment Connect with Kenny Stoddart: 🌐 ironmindadvisors.com 📱 Instagram: @ironmindskenny 🎓 Graduating: Liberty University, Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling — Nov/Dec Subscribe & Leave a Review: If Kenny's story made you want to raise your hand and ask for help — or walk into a room you've been afraid of — please subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs to hear that asking for help is the biggest sign of strength there is. 🎙️ Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line — new episodes dropping regularly. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

September 8, 202628 min

Turn Your LinkedIn & X Profile Into an Inbound Lead Machine

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! Inbound leads close at 14.6%. Outbound closes at 1.7%. If you're still relying on cold outreach to fill your pipeline, you're working eight times harder for a fraction of the results. In this episode of Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0, PI and Piette answer a listener's question from tuepodcast.net/askpi: how do I build a personal brand on LinkedIn or X to generate inbound leads? The answer is a complete 2026 blueprint — from profile optimization and algorithm mechanics to content strategy, lead magnets, and the one reframe that changes everything: you're not giving away your secrets, you're proving you're the only one qualified to execute them. What You'll Learn: Why inbound leads convert 8-9x better than cold outreach — and the psychology behind the gap Why LinkedIn now drives 75-85% of all B2B social media leads How LinkedIn capped connection requests to 100-200 per week — making inbound mandatory What a personal brand actually is in 2026 (hint: it's not a color scheme) How to write a hyper-specific positioning line that filters the right buyers instantly Why your LinkedIn profile should function as a landing page, not a resume What "true flexing" looks like — and why objective proof beats empty adjectives every time How LinkedIn's new 360 Brew AI ranking system works and what kills your confidence score Why the March 2026 authenticity update killed polls, engagement bait, and external links Why PDF carousels pull a 6.6% engagement rate (and what dwell time has to do with it) Why one deep post per week beats five shallow ones — every time The content flywheel: one foundational piece that fuels your entire week of content The Ty Mumford stump grinding method: how radical authenticity builds fierce loyalty Why giving away your best frameworks for free is the fastest way to get paying clients How to create ideological enemies — and why it magnetizes your ideal tribe The three-step inbound post funnel: awareness → education → soft action Why lead magnets and email lists are the ultimate finish line of every social strategy Why your email list is the only audience you actually own Timestamps: [00:00:00] – The Vacuum Salesman vs. The Welcoming Storefront: The Core Analogy [00:01:30] – The Listener Question & Today's Mission [00:02:30] – Why Inbound Converts 8-9X Better Than Outbound [00:03:00] – 14.6% vs. 1.7%: The Psychology of Asymmetrical Trust [00:03:30] – LinkedIn Drives 75-85% of All B2B Social Leads [00:04:00] – Why LinkedIn Killed Mass Outreach (100-200 Connection Cap) [00:04:30] – What a Personal Brand Actually Is in 2026 [00:05:00] – The Hyper-Specific Positioning Line That Filters Buyers Instantly [00:06:00] – X Platform Technical Requirement: Your Profile Must Be 100% Public [00:06:30] – Treating Your LinkedIn Profile as a Landing Page [00:07:00] – The Banner Image as Window Display: Filtering In and Filtering Out [00:07:30] – The About Section: A Sales Letter Disguised as an Introduction [00:08:00] – True Flexing: Why Objective Proof Beats Empty Adjectives [00:09:30] – Building the Storefront: Profile Optimization Complete [00:09:45] – The 2026 Algorithm Landscape: Views Down 50%, Engagement Down 25% [00:10:00] – LinkedIn's 360 Brew AI: How the Confidence Score Works [00:11:00] – Why Posting Off-Topic Kills Your Reach Across the Board [00:11:30] – The March 2026 Authenticity Update: What Got Killed [00:12:00] – Polls Are Dead: 0.07% Engagement Rate Explained [00:12:30] – What the Algorithm Is Actually Rewarding Now [00:12:45] – PDF Carousels: 6.6% Engagement Rate and the Dwell Time Mechanic [00:13:30] – Why One Deep Post Per Week Beats Five Shallow Ones [00:14:00] – The Golden Posting Window: Tuesday-Thursday, 9-11 AM [00:14:30] – The Content Flywheel: One Piece, Full Week of Content [00:15:30] – Humanizing the Brand: Why Authenticity Is a Technical Advantage [00:16:00] – Ty Mumford and Stump Grinding: The Power of Documenting Your Reality [00:17:00] – Give Away the Manual: Why Free Frameworks Attract Paying Clients [00:18:00] – Creating Ideological Enemies to Magnetize Your Tribe [00:19:00] – The Three-Step Inbound Post Funnel: Awareness → Education → Action [00:20:30] – Lead Magnets and Why Email Is the Only Audience You Own [00:22:00] – Final Thought: How Will Your Brand Retain Its Human Soul? [00:23:00] – Submit Your Question & Wrap-Up Submit Your Question: 🔗 tuepodcast.net/askpi — Pi & Piette build a deep dive around your question. Subscribe & Share: If this episode changed how you think about social media, cold outreach, or what a personal brand actually is — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with every expert who's been hiding their best work behind a pitch deck nobody asked for. 🎙️ Business Conversations with Pi and Piet 2.0 — Real questions. AI insights. Unlimited potential. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

September 1, 2026Episode 13648 min

Lizzie Thomas on Authenticity, Creative Health & Trusting the Detour

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! Lizzie spent 15 years mastering the American Songbook. She was a dedicated New York City jazz vocalist steeped in Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cole Porter, and Gershwin. And then she started hearing original melodies in meditation and dreams — and she followed them. Now she's releasing her second all-original album, heading to Carnegie Hall, and more authentically herself than she has ever been. In this episode of Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line, jazz singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, record label founder, and author Lizzie Thomas joins Skoob for one of the most soulful and wide-ranging conversations the show has ever had. From creative health and imposter syndrome to the power of the subconscious and why authenticity is the only branding strategy that lasts — this episode is for every entrepreneur who's afraid to leave the lane they were trained for. What You'll Learn: Why stepping outside your own work — becoming a listener instead of the creator — unlocks creative power and breaks perfectionism What "creative health" means and why it's the most overlooked entrepreneur skill Why you have to release in order to receive — and what that looks like in practice How imposter syndrome is rooted in self-worth — and why knowing who you are is the cure Why branding is authenticity — and why polished perfection is now working against you in the age of AI How Lizzie started hearing original music in meditation and dreams — and what that teaches us about the subconscious The question-before-sleep technique for accessing answers your waking mind can't find Why Lizzie's "detour" away from the jazz canon became her greatest liberation Why people are craving human imperfection right now more than ever How to make something your own: take the best of your mentors and add your own essence Rumi's quote on walking the path — and what it means for getting across the start line Lizzie's six-month plan: album release, touring NYC, LA, Germany, Italy, Carnegie Hall & the Grammys Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Introduction & Welcome [00:01:30] – Meet Lizzie Thomas: Jazz Singer, Record Label Founder, Author & Musical Entrepreneur [00:03:00] – Musicians and Imposter Syndrome: Why Perfectionism Hits Differently in the Arts [00:03:30] – Stepping Out of the Song: How Objectivity Breaks Perfectionism [00:05:00] – Looking Outside the Bottle: Why You Can't See What You're In [00:06:00] – Creative Health: Rest, Release & Why Giving Yourself Permission Is the Hardest Part [00:07:30] – Brain Refreshers, Naps & the Art of Making Room for the Next Idea [00:08:00] – In Order to Receive, You Have to Release: The Philosophy of Creative Flow [00:10:00] – Imposter Syndrome Is a Self-Worth Problem — Here's the Real Fix [00:11:30] – You Can't Have a Tribe If You Don't Know Who You Are [00:12:30] – The House of Cards: What Happens When Branding Runs Ahead of Authenticity [00:13:00] – Rise by Lifting Others — But Know Yourself First [00:14:30] – Curiosity Is the Key to a Great Existence as a Human [00:15:30] – Rumi: "You Only Realize the Path Once You Start Walking the Path" [00:16:00] – The Pitfall She's Proud Of: Leaving the Jazz Canon to Find Her Own Voice [00:20:30] – Take the Best of Your Mentors and Make It Your Own [00:22:00] – The Subconscious as Creative Partner: Hearing Melodies in Dreams [00:22:30] – The Question-Before-Sleep Technique: How to Access Answers Your Waking Mind Can't Find [00:23:30] – Dream States and What We Can Access When We Stop Controlling [00:25:00] – One Piece of Advice for New Entrepreneurs: Find Out Who You Are First [00:26:00] – How Are You Making People Feel? The Question That Beats Any 10-Step Plan [00:27:30] – Authenticity IS the Brand — And Why It's More Urgent Than Ever [00:29:00] – Lizzie's Six-Month Plan: This Is Freedom, Carnegie Hall & the Grammys [00:31:30] – How to Find Lizzie Thomas Upcoming Shows & Releases: 🎵 Album: This Is Freedom — releasing August 12th (Goddess Legacy Records) 🎤 NYC: City Winery — September 19th 🎤 LA: Sunset Marquis Hotel — September 23rd 🎤 Frankfurt, Germany 🎤 North Italy (with press appearances) 🎤 Carnegie Hall — November 13th 🎤 Grammys — February Connect with Lizzie Thomas: 🌐 Website & Tour Dates: lizziethejazzsinger.com (Lizzie the Jazz Singer across all platforms) 📺 YouTube: Full music videos and performances 🎧 Spotify: Lizzie Thomas (includes live show listings) 📱 Instagram / TikTok / Facebook: @LizzieTheJazzSinger Subscribe & Leave a Review: If Lizzie's episode made you feel something — about who you are, what you're holding onto, or what you've been afraid to become — please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs permission to take their detour. 🎙️ Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line — new episodes dropping regularly. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

August 25, 202627 min

The David vs. Goliath Playbook for Competing Against Big, Well-Funded Competitors

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! In the late 1980s, a tiny startup called Qualcomm kept losing massive trucking contracts — not to better technology, not to a cheaper product, but to something that didn't even exist. Their competitor was selling a promise, a delay, a ghost. And Qualcomm almost died for it. In this episode of Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0, PI and Piette answer a listener's ultimate founder anxiety question from tuepodcast.net/askpi: "How do I compete in a saturated market against big, well-funded competitors?" The answer draws from Y Combinator archives, Forbes strategy pieces, startup veterans, and some of the most instructive David vs. Goliath business stories ever told — from Instacart vs. Amazon to Zappos vs. every retail giant in existence. The conclusion? Your biggest competitive advantage isn't your brilliance. It's their comfort. What You'll Learn: Why obsessing over your competitor's every move is the single biggest strategic error a founder can make The race car driver analogy that explains why looking at the wall means hitting the wall The Justin.tv story: how copying a competitor's feature caused two companies to waste their own runway simultaneously Why vaporware is a psychological weapon — and how Qualcomm survived it Why competing on price against a well-funded Goliath is always a death sentence The Willie Keeler "hit them where they ain't" strategy and the blue ocean approach How Maxim Integrated built a billion-dollar company by serving the customers giants couldn't afford to bother with How Prego's extra chunky sauce discovered a hidden one-third of the American market that nobody was serving How Absolut Vodka carved out a premium niche in a market where the product is legally identical to every competitor Why Zappos and Digi-Key weaponized speed and customer service to outmaneuver corporate giants The 100X rule: why being 30% better isn't enough — and how Instacart solved the avocado problem Amazon couldn't How Cruise beat Google's decade-long self-driving head start by seeking out the hardest problems on purpose Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Introduction & The Listener Question [00:01:00] – Qualcomm vs. a Product That Didn't Exist: The Opening Hook [00:02:30] – The Classic Goliath Problem: How Every Ambitious Founder Gets Here [00:03:00] – The Race Car Driver Analogy: Why Looking at the Wall Means Hitting It [00:04:00] – Justin.tv (Later Twitch) and the Corporate Imposter Syndrome Trap [00:05:00] – The Blind Leading the Blind: When Both Competitors Are Copying Each Other's Mistakes [00:06:00] – The Theater Set Illusion: Why Your Competitor's PR Is Just Duct Tape and Panic [00:06:30] – Markets Support Multiple Winners: The Regional Bank Reality Check [00:07:00] – Stop Watching Competitors — Start Watching Alternatives [00:07:30] – Qualcomm's Full Story: Fighting Vaporware With a Real Product [00:08:30] – The Pork Chop Joke: Why Competing on Price Is the Fastest Way to Die [00:09:30] – Hawaiian Airlines vs. Southwest: How Well-Funded Giants Use Cross-Subsidization to Destroy You [00:10:30] – Willie Keeler's "Hit Them Where They Ain't" — The Blue Ocean Approach [00:11:00] – Maxim Integrated: Building a Billion-Dollar Empire on the Long Tail Nobody Else Wanted [00:12:30] – Howard Moskowitz and Prego's Extra Chunky Sauce: Finding the Hidden Cluster [00:13:30] – Absolut Vodka: Competing on Packaging When the Product Is Legally Identical [00:14:00] – The Meatball Shop & Bonobos: Do One Thing, Own It [00:14:30] – Weaponizing Speed and Customer Service: Your Two Asymmetrical Advantages [00:15:30] – Digi-Key: $2 Billion in Revenue With Zero Salespeople [00:16:30] – Zappos: How Human Customer Service Creates Loyalty Corporate Advertising Can't Buy [00:17:30] – The Psychology of the Sale: Addressing Hopes, Fears & Structural Tension [00:18:30] – What Happens When the Giant Wakes Up? The 100X Rule [00:19:30] – Instacart vs. Amazon: Why a Trillion-Dollar Company Couldn't Pick the Right Avocado [00:20:30] – Cruise vs. Google: Beating a 10-Year Head Start by Seeking the Hardest Problems [00:21:30] – Full Playbook Summary & the Final Provocative Thought [00:23:00] – Submit Your Question & Wrap-Up Companies & Stories Referenced: Qualcomm / Omnitracs, Justin.tv (Twitch), Shelby.tv, Maxim Integrated, Prego (Howard Moskowitz), Absolut Vodka, The Meatball Shop, Bonobos, Digi-Key, Zappos, Instacart vs. Amazon, Cruise vs. Google, Southwest vs. Hawaiian Airlines Submit Your Question: 🔗 Head to tuepodcast.net/askpi and Pi & Piette will build a deep dive around your question. Subscribe & Share: If this episode reframed how you think about competing against giants — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a founder who's been staring at the wall instead of the track. 🎙️ Business Conversations with Pi and Piette 2.0 — Real questions. AI insights. Unlimited potential. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom

August 18, 2026Episode 13547 min

Who's Gonna Tell Her Story? David Dean on AI, Human Value in the Workplace

Did you like the episode? Send me a text and let me know!! A frontline worker broke into tears on a call with David Dean. She was afraid she wouldn't have a job in a year. That moment became the spark for a book — and for one of the most grounded, compassionate conversations about AI and human value in the workplace you'll ever hear. In this episode of Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line, David Dean — author of An Inbox Between Us and self-described Business AI Realist — joins Skoob for a deep, thoughtful conversation about what AI actually means for real people at every level of an organization. Not the hype. Not the doomsaying. The real relationship between humans and AI — and why getting that relationship right is the defining challenge of this era. What You'll Learn: Why David left large enterprise to write a book nobody else was writing — for the people nobody else was talking to The written contract vs. the unwritten contract: how organizations actually run vs. how they say they run Why lived experience and lived consequence are the real reasons we hire humans — and why AI can't replace that How AI is like the movie Multiplicity — and why your copies aren't all the same Why 79% of the workforce are "AI survivalists" just trying to do their jobs What organizational self-awareness means and why it's the competitive advantage of the AI era How to use AI as a behavioral mirror — analyzing patterns across client meetings, team dynamics, and organizational challenges Why the human touch is more valuable right now, not less, precisely because of AI The Star Trek/Scotty analogy for how AI accelerates human decision-making without replacing it Why David calls himself a Business AI Realist — and what that means for your team or company David's six-month goal: speaking engagements and becoming a go-to ground-level AI voice for enterprise Timestamps: [00:00:00] – Introduction & Welcome [00:01:00] – David's Background: From Enterprise Tech to the AI Era [00:02:00] – The Digital Journaling That Became a Book [00:03:00] – What the Hype Gets Wrong: Talking About AI From Too High Up [00:04:30] – Why David Felt Like "a Little Guy" — and Why That Didn't Stop Him [00:06:00] – You Are an Entrepreneur If You're Helping People [00:07:00] – AI as Tool, Not Replacement: The Entrepreneur's Perspective [00:08:00] – Why Companies Hire People: Lived Experience & Lived Consequence [00:09:00] – The Written Contract vs. the Unwritten Contract [00:10:00] – The Final Human Decision: Where Accountability Must Stay [00:11:00] – AI as a Relationship: Slow Down, Figure It Out, Cultivate It [00:12:00] – The Multiplicity Model: Using AI to Duplicate and Offload Yourself [00:13:30] – Debating Yourself With AI: Devil's Advocate, Customer Perspective & Idea Extraction [00:14:30] – Friendly Candor With AI: Using It to Challenge Your Own Thinking [00:15:00] – The Behavioral Record: What Patterns in Your Data Reveal About You and Your Business [00:17:00] – When AI Tells You to Go Have a Conversation Instead [00:18:00] – Humans Are Craving Human Touch — More Now Than Ever [00:19:00] – Star Trek's Scotty Analogy: AI Accelerates Decisions Without Making Them [00:20:30] – AI Is Flawed Because It Mimics Us — and That's Okay [00:23:00] – The Pitfall He's Proud Of: Getting Kicked Around Enough to Know Who He Is [00:24:30] – Authenticity and Quiet Trust: Why People Respect How You Operate Even If They Don't Like You [00:27:00] – The Moment That Sparked the Book: A Frontline Worker in Tears [00:29:00] – The 79% AI Survivalists and Why Someone Needs to Fight for Them [00:30:30] – What the Book Covers — and Why It's Written to Resonate 10 Years From Now [00:31:30] – The Book: An Inbox Between Us — Available Now [00:34:00] – David's Six-Month Goal: Speaking Engagements & the Business AI Realist Platform [00:37:00] – How to Find David, the Book & Connect on LinkedIn Book: 📚 An Inbox Between Us — David Christopher Dean Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Porchlight (print & e-book). Audiobook coming July. Connect with David Dean: 🌐 davidchristopherdean.com 💼 LinkedIn: David Christopher Dean 📰 Newsletter: Available on LinkedIn Subscribe & Leave a Review: If David's conversation made you think differently about AI, human value, and what we owe to the people just trying to keep their jobs — please subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs to hear that they matter in the age of AI. 🎙️ Undiscovered Entrepreneur: Get Across the Start Line — new episodes dropping regularly. new add for my quiz For a 15% discount on your first purchase go RYZEsuoerfoods.com use code PODNA15 Thank you for being a Skoobeliever!! If you have questions about the show or you want to be a guest please contact me at one of these social medias Twitter......... .. @djskoob2021 Facebook......... Facebook.com/skoobami Instagram..... instagram.com/uepodcast2021 tiktok....... @djskoob2021 Email............... Uepodcast2021@gmail.com Skoob at Gettin' Basted Facebook Page Across The Start Line Facebook Community Find out what one of the four hurdles of stop is affecting you the most!! Black Friday coaching Sale now!! 65% off original price! go to stan.store/skoob to book your appointment and take advantage of this limited time offer! On Twitter @doittodaycoach doingittodaycoaching@gmailcom